Pro cyclist in Italy uses his bike to deliver medicine

ROVATO, Italy (AP) — There are no fans lining the road.

No teammates providing support.

And there is no race to win.

Professional cyclist Davide Martinelli has achieved a moral victory, though, by using his bike to help deliver medicine to elderly residents and others in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

The service is of great use in Lodetto, Martinelli’s hometown in the hard-hit Lombardy region of northern Italy.

The village has neither a pharmacy nor a supermarket.

Martinelli makes a daily trip to Rovato, the next town over, to pick up supplies.

“I’ve got a bike and two legs in pretty good form, so riding 10 kilometres (six miles) a day is no big deal,” Martinelli said in an interview this week.

“I wanted to help the people who always support me during the season. It’s time to give back to them.”

Martinelli joined up with a Facebook group called “Lodetto Solidale” (Supporting Lodetto) where those in need can place their requests online, by phone or message.

Martinelli receives his orders each night and maps out a route for the following day.

“I go to the pharmacy and when I arrive outside I put on gloves and a mask,” he said.

“If I go for three or four people, there’s less risk of contagion.”

With a population of 1,500, everyone in Lodetto knows who Martinelli is. Or rather, they know who Martinelli’s father is.

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